Convertible settee



July 18, 1933. l, COHEN 7 1,919,009

CONVERT I BLE S ETTEE Filed Nov. 5, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l July 18, 1933. L COHEN 1,919,009

CONVERTIBLE SETTEE Filed Nov. 5, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 18, 1933 stares PATENT orrica ISAAC COHEN, 0F JOHANNESBURG, TRANSVAAL, UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA,

' CONVERTIBLE SET'I'EE Application filed November 5, 1931, Serial No.

573,149, and in the Union of south Africa September This invention appertains to settees and similar articles of furniture which are con vertible into bedsteads or the like. A settee or similar piece of furniture incorporating the present improvements can be converted into a double or single bedstead or bed, a couch, or a box ottoman.

The principal objects with which the pres ent invention is designed are to simplify the construction and thereby reduce the cost of production of such convertible settees, etcetera, and to render them more comfortable in use, and at the same time to facilitate the conversion of the same into the different forms into which it can be converted. I

The design and construction of the convertible settee, etcetera, embodying the features of the present invention are such that the seat when placed in a rearwardly and downwardly inclined position is automatically retained in that position by the weight of the movable and detachable back, and that the main framework of the settee can be constructed entirely of wood, or of metal, or of a combination of wood and metal.

To the attainment of the aforesaid objects the present improvements appertain, inter alia, to the construction and arrangement of the parts which form the seat and back of the settee so that any suitable ordinary form or construction of spring mattress can be used as the foundation of the seat and back, upon which spring mattresses, coir, flock, or other suitable mattresses, or cushions filled with an suitable material can be used to the hinging of the seat to the main frame and the hinging of the back to the seat, and to the construction of the sliding hinges which serve for hingedly connecting the seat and back spring mattress frames; to means which serve as a stop in an inward direction for the seat, coir or like mattress, and to similar means which serve as a support for the back coir or like mattress; to means which serve as rests for the inclined back of the settee, and facilitats the raising of the settee seat in order to obtain access to the box ottoman, said means serving also as a protection for the wooden frame of the hinged back of the settee frame from the metal frame of the spring mattress;

to means which act to protect thefront wooden portion of the settee frameagainst the action of the moving metal frame of the lunged spring mat-tress seat foundation; to

a hinged sectional box bottom which is removable and adapted to be folded for convenience in transport; and to the provision of a lining for the seat spring mattress frame which will cover the interior space of the box ottoman at the top and preclude the entrance thereinto 6 of dust, .etcetera. I

In a modified construction in which the box ottoman could be dispensed with, the longitudinalmembers of the main frame could be ordinary bed irons of L tion. With this alternative construction the box ottoman could, if desired, be provided 7ind fixed to said longitudinal bed iron memers.

be described in detail with the aid of the accompany ng drawings, wherein,

Fig. 1 1s a front elevationof the improved settee.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same, also 7 showing, in dotted lines, the movable arts in the positions in which they are p aced when the settee is converted into a double bedstead.

Fig. 3 is a plan view illustrating the article 80 which the longitudinal members of the settee 9,

frame are ordinary bed or angle irons, the box ottoman being combined therewith and secured thereto.

Fig. 6 is a plan of portion of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of portion of the '5 seat spring mattress frame, illustrating the attachment thereto of the lining.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the spring mattress frame with the lining attached, drawn to a reduced scale, and

shape in cross-sec- The several features of the invention will mg, in dotted lines, the seat and back in their 5 A Fig. 9 is an elevation of one of the hinges for slidably attaching the back to the seat, detached, and extended.

In Figs. 1 and 1, and the part of Fig. 2 shown in full lines, 1 illustrate the article arranged in the form of a settee, and in Fig. 3 in the form of a double bedstead, the dotted lines in Fig. 2 representing the position into which the parts are moved to convert the settee into a double bed.

The parts of the structure or main frame of the article comprise the end members 1 of the settee frame, the front main rail 2, the intermediate rail 3, the back main rail 1, and the parts or frames 5 which are hingedly attached at 6 to the back edgesof the end memhere 1 of the settee frame and are adapted to be folded or turned into a position at right angles to the end frames 1 in order to supmattresses.

port the back of the settee in the inclined position-seeFigs. 2 and l. 7 are hooks and eyes provided for securing the parts 5 to the back main rail 1 when in the folded position,

I and 8 are chains, fixed to the back rail l and engaging hooks in the parts or frames 5, which serve as stops when the parts or frames 5 are unfolded and extended in order to place them in line with the end members 1, in converting the article into a double bed, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. 5a. are rails fixed to the frames 5, for supporting the back when lowered.

According to one feature of the invention 1 the hinged movable frames or foundations of the seat and back each consists of an ordinary rectangular metal frame of L shape in crosssection, denoted by the numerals 9, 10, respectively, carrying the spring wiring 11 of the The frame 9 may, as indicated at 12, be provided at the front with a suitably shaped facing strip or moulding, of wood or other suitable material. or back of the back frame 10 are also similarly provided with facing strips or moulding 13. These serve, by covering the exposed metal surfaces of the angle iron frames, to improve the appearance thereof.

The spring mattress frame 9 of the seat is provided on the underside with reinforcing gussets or triangular corner pieces 14 to each of which is attached one leaf of one of the two hinges 15. v The other and longer leaves of the hinges 15 are adapted slidably to engage in the sockets 16 provided on the back of the intermediate rail 3 of the settee frame. The other. spring mattress frame 10 may, as shown, also be similarly provided with triangular reinforcing gusset plates 17.

The frames of the seat and back, 9, 10, re spectively, are hingedly connected together along their contiguous edges by means of a pair of hinges 18, one leaf of each of which is attached to the lower or inner edge of the back frame 10, and extends outwardly and The sides and topforwardly for a distance substantially equal to the width of the coir or like mattress or cushion 19, so that they serve to support the mattress 19 along the bottom. The other and longer leaves of the hinges 18 are checked at both sides or made somewhat narrower for a portion of their length,-see also 9and slidably engage in sockets 20 fixed to the back or inner edge of the seat frame 9. The side projections formed by the checking of the longer leaves of the hinges 18 serve as stops by engaging with the upper edges of the sides of the sockets 20, and the length of the upper wider portions of these leaves is substantially equal to the width of the coir or like mattress or cushion 21 of the seat 9. By this construction the 7 seat frame 9, through the sockets 20, and hinges 18, serves to support the back frame 10 and its coir or like mattress 19.

For the purpose of retaining the mattress or cushion 19 in position on its frame 10, along its Whole length, a narrow piece or flap 22 may be hingedly attached by hinges 23 to the frame 10 along the inner or lower edge. The flap 22, when supporting the mattress or cushion 19, will rest near its ends upon the forwardly projecting portions of those leaves of the hinges 18 which are attached to the frame 10. For the purpose of additionally supporting the flap 22 intermediate the hinges two pivoted buttons 24: may be fixed to the inner or lower edge of the frame 10, which, when turned into operative position, will be engaged by the flap 22.

The frame 9 may also be provided along its rear or inner edge with a similar flap 25, hingedly attached to the frame 9 by the hinges 26. This flap 25, when raised into position, will operate as a stop for the seat mattress or cushion in a rearward direction.

The means which serve as rests for the back 10 of the settee when in the inclined position consists of two rollers 27 one of which is secured to each of the parts or frames near the top of the hinged or inner edge thereof. As shown more particularly in Fig. 2, the frame 10 rests directly on the rollers 27 when in position, and is adapted to have rolling contact therewith when the seat 9 is raised about its hinges 15 to gain access to the box ottoman, in which raised or open position it is show in Fig. 4: in dotted lines. In this position the-portion of the seat 9 at the sides beyond the hinges 15 en gages the stops 15a fixed to the end members 1 of the frame.

By placing the hinges 15 at a suitable distance from the rear edge of the seat frame 9, and hingedly connecting the back frame 10 to the seat frame 9 along the rear edge of the latter, the weight of the back operates, when tom or underside of the tain the seat in the inclined andraised oropen position, in which it is shown in Fig. i.

The longitudinal front rail- 2 is shown provided at each end with a flat metal wearing plate 28, for the side portions of the frame 9 at t is front to rest upon.

In these figures of the drawings the box ottoman is shown provided in the main frame, by and between the members 1, 2 and 3, below the seat frame 9. It is provided with a removabl sectional folding bottom 29, the adjacentsections of which are hinged together by pieces of flexible material 30, as shown in Fig. 5. The removable folding bottom 29 is shown retained in position between longitudinal and transverse bars 31, respectively, fixed on the inside to the sides and ends respectively of the box ottoman.

In connection with Figs. 5 and 6 I show the modified construction, in which the longitudinal members of the settee frame, which carry the seat spring mattress frame 9, are substantially in the form of ordinary bed irons 33 of i. shape in cross-section, and constru d the ends with the usual rounded projections which engage in correspondingly shaped holes or recesses 35 in brackets 36 fixed to the end members 1 of the settee frame. In these figures the side parts 37 of the box ottoman structure are shown fixed by screws 38 to the bed irons 33 by which they are carried.

As illustrated in Figs.

7 and 8, the botspring mattress frame may be covered in or enclosed by a sheet of plywood, canvas, or other suitable material 39, fixed to the spring mattress frame 9 by strips of wood 410 fixed to the frame screws l1. Apertures 4t2see Fig. fJ-rnay, if desired, be provided in the sheet 39, at one or more corners, to provide exits for the dust, etcetera, when the spring mattress frame 9 is raised about its hinges 15. By positioning the apertures 42 at the inner side of the frame 9 beyond the hinges 15, any dust, etcetera, that falls through them will fall clear of the box ottoman.

If considered necessary or desirable, instead of or in addition to the moulding 12, a iiounce may be secured to the lower edge of the front or outer portion of the seat mattress or cushion 21, and/or to the lower edge of the back mattress or cushion 19.

in converting the article from a settee into a double bedstead or bed, the hinged frames are first placed inline with the end memher; 1 see Figs. 2 and 3-after releasing the hooks 7 from their eyes. The back 10, 19, is then lowered about its hinges 18 on to the side rails 5c and t is back rail 4:. The are now folded on to their respec tive spring mattress frames 10, 9, under the mattresses or cushions 19, 21, and the buttons 24 lowered into the horizontal position, as

shown in Fig. 3. i

To convert the settee into a single bed, the

back 10, 19, is removed by lifting the longer; leaves of thehinges 18 out of the sockets 20, the frames 5 being removed or notas desired. The flap 25 will thenbe folded under s and desire the frame for enclosing a space below the 3 seat, for which the seat serves as a hinged cover, the seat being hingedly connected to the main frame at a point some distance in front of the back edge and hingedly and detachably connected along the rear edge to the lower edge of the back, so that the seat when lifted to give access to the enclosed space is automatically retained in the raised and open position by the weight of the movable back, the means for hingedly and detachably connecting the rear edge of the seat to the lower edge of theback comprising leaf hinges, and sockets slidably receiving the respective leaves of the hinges whereby the back frame is slidably connected to the seat frame, said hinges having one leaf longer than the other and the longer leaf made narrower for a portion of its length, so that said longer leaves act as stops and distancing means in si'lch a way that the movable back of the se te is supported by the seat frame through said hinges when the seat is lowered and the back relatively inclined and so that said longer leaves slidably engage in their sockets automatically to allow the seat and back to assume their correct relative positions, as set forth.

2. A convertible settee, including, in combination, a main frame, a movable back, means i for slidably supporting the back in the inclined position including rollers mounted on hinged portions of the main frame, with which rollers the ends of the back engage, a seat, and means attached to the frame for enclosing a space below the seat,.for which the seat serves as a hinged cover, the seat being hingedly connected to the main frame at a point some distance in front of the back edge and hingedly and detachably connected along the rear edge to the lower edge of the back, so that the seat when lifted to give access to the enclosed space is automatically retained in the raised and open position by the weight of the movable back, and the means for hingedly and detachably connecting the rear edge of the seat to the lower edge of the back comprising leaf hinges, and sockets slidably receiving the respective leaves of the hinges whereby the back frame is slidably connected to the seat framesaid hinges having one leaf longer than the other and the the seat'is lowerecl and the baclrrelatively inclined, and so that said longer leaves slidably engage in their sockets automatically to allow the seat and back to assume their correct relative positions,

as set forth.

ISAAC COHEN. 

